Styling Randy and Ashley

It's been an exciting weekend! Wilmington Fashion Weekend kicked off on Thursday, and I had the pleasure of styling WWAY Good Morning Carolina anchors Ashley Jacobs and Randy Aldridge. Both were serving as guest celebrity judges for the Emerging Designers competition on Friday.

Let me apologize in advance for the grittiness of these images. There haven't been any postings of the professional photos from the event yet, so I'm relying on iPhone pics for now. 

ASHLEY'S LOOK

Ashley usually wears conservative shift dresses with a bold statement necklace while on air. I wanted to switch it up a bit and showcase her playful personality with a flirty dress. I pulled a lot of great dresses for her, but I ended up choosing this sexy lace top dress with a flouncy skirt from Camille's of Wilmington. 

I paired Ashley's dress with some bebe kicks (also from Camille's), and a pair of bauble earrings, a stylish bracelet and a freakishly cute clutch, all from from Lula Balou.

And her makeup was done, courtesy of makeup artist Danielle Forte. The image doesn't do the makeup justice, that's for sure!

Ashley snapped this pic, shortly after Danielle completed her look.

RANDY'S LOOK

Randy is usually spotted wearing suits on-air and untucked, casual button downs with slacks when working as an interior designer (yea, he's a busy guy!) I liked Randy's style, but I wanted to put him in a slimmer suit. At 6'3, Randy has the lean figure to pull this off.

Randy is sporting a navy, modern-fit suit from Express. I chose the "Producer" fit, because the look is tailored and refined. I also chose the same style for his trousers, because the Producer slacks hit right at the waist, which is perfect for any gentleman who has a longer torso. 

I wanted him to have a suit he'd wear again and again and not just for this event. The sateen fabric was dressy enough for the Wilmington Fashion Weekend, yet perfect for on-air wear, too. I loved this plaid shirt, too (also from Express). The bold blocks of color included touches of candy apple, faded browns and blues, perfect for Randy's olive complexion. 

I finished off Randy's look with a pair of stylish Oxfords from Dillards. He nixed the socks for this look.

 I had a ball styling both Randy and Ashley. Hopefully, I'll get the chance to do it again!

Did you attend Wilmington Fashion Weekend? What did you wear?

WILMA: Bling It On!

In the April edition of WILMA, we focused on the art of accessorizing and piling on the jewelry. I was particularly a fan of this shoot because I was able to feature tons of pieces from local and regional designers such as Vint, Half United and local boutique Ziabird and Tickled Pink, both of which offer tons of independent designer finds.

Check out the full article and take a peak at some of the images below. Photos were taken by Ben Minor.

Gilded Goddess

The Bohemian 

 Twice As Nice

MODEL: Kenzie Schmidt

PHOTOGRAPHER: Ben Minor Photograpy

HAIR and MAKEUP: Brandy Alexander of Groove Jet Salon

STYLIST ASSISTANT: Erica Suarez-Pinket

Style Stop: Get Ready For Prom

Prom season is officially upon us! If your daughter is looking for that special dress, here are a few trends to consider!

Wilma: Spring Awakening

The March edition of Wilma Magazine is out and it features my recent fashion editorial "Spring Awakening" with photographer Ben Minor I pulled some beautiful garments from Monkees of Wilmington and Aqua Fedora at Lumina Station. 

Check out my article and spread HERE, and enjoy the images!

Photography by Ben Minor Photography

Model: Chelsea Reeves

Hair and Makeup: Brandy Alexander of Groove Jet Salon

Teaming Up With Project WIGU!

Do you remember what you wanted to be when you grew up? I did.

I wanted to be an entertainer, an actress, a pop star and anything else that would give me a chance to put my face in front of the camera. I would have never have thought that I would end up behind the scenes instead.

I was able to revisit my childhood dream of being the next Beyonce as a part of Project WIGU (When I Grow Up) photo series created by Katherine Clark Photography. Check out more WIGU participants at http://projectwigu.tumblr.com/

And don't forget to follow the project!
instagram: projectWIGU
twitter: @projectWIGU

Photo taken by Katherine Clark Photography

THE LOOKS
The dress on the left was provided by Camille's Closet. The outfit on the right was from my personal closet. And that cool chain link necklace is a Tizzy Necklace, which you can buy at Tickled Pink in Wilmington, NC.

Style Stop: Oscars Recap!

Did you check out the Oscars last night? I did and I really loved what I saw! There were definitely some winners last night!  Check out my recap segment on WWAY's Style Stop and some more of my favorites below!




THE WINNERS

Not only did Lupita Nyong'o win Best Supporting Actress for her breathtaking role in "12 Years A Slave" but she also rocked the red carpet with her "Nairobi Blue" Prada dress. The actress reportedly tried on 70 dresses before deciding on this one!

Charlize Theron slayed the red carpet in her simple, yet elegant Dior dress. Then again, when has she EVER failed us?

Cate Blanchett was STUNNING in her sheer Armani Prive dress. LOVE. 

MENSWEAR

I was thrilled to see white tux jackets and navy and burgundy tuxedos. Men were all about making a statement last night!

Ryan Seacrest

Kevin Spacey

Michael B. Jordan looked rather dapper in this Givenchy tux with detailed collar and flashy kicks.

We've seen men rock shorts with blazers during the summer. That's one thing. But Pharrell's Lanvin tux with shorts was a different level. I queried several male fashion enthusiasts to get their thoughts. Some were just as torn as I was. The look screams little boy church suit.  But then again, it's Pharrell, a dude who is usually ahead of the fashion curve anyway. And honestly, I can think of several stylish gents who can easily pull this off. So this look, although an acquired taste and NOT for everyone, gets a thumbs up from me.  I'm willing to bet we'll see this look again but in the Port City.

ACCESSORIES

And can we take a moment to check out the evening's accessories? 

 Ok, one more shout out for Charlize! Check out that Harry Winston Diamond Drop Necklace! That piece of fabulousness was worth a whopping $15 million!

So, I think I'm digging this adorable Fred Leighton headband and crescent earrings. Some weren't a fan of the headband, but I think it was sweet enough for someone like Lupita to pull off! 

Peep these Chopard drop earrings that showcase opals set in white gold and diamonds.  They went perfectly with Cate's dress!

Naomi Watts was all about the Bulgari accessories, particularly this geometric clutch. Very fab.

So what were your favorite looks from the Oscars? What looks did you hate?

Style Stop: I Answer YOUR Questions

Since the Style Stop started, both Ashlei and I have received questions from the viewers. So we took this segment to respond to a few of those inquiries! Check it out!




SHOP THE LOOK

In this clip, I kept it simple and wore some blue skinnies with a Colorblocked Shirt from Talbots.

Do you have any style questions? Send them in and maybe I'll answer your questions on the next Q&A segment.